The Watcher Of Sunnyhell
by boop-oop-ee-doo
Summary: AU,Tara never died. After being knocked out during a cyclone, Tara is transported to the land of Sunnyhell. To get home, she, along with three special friends must visit the mysterious Watcher, and defeat Kennedy, The Insufferable Brat Of The West.
1. The Cyclone

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy.

AN: I know that this has probably been done before, but I don't think it's ever been done with Tara in the "Dorothy" role. Also, this is AU because Tara never died, so season 7 goes on the way it would have if that had never happened. Kennedy does exist, trying to flirt with Willow and generally being a pain in the ass to everyone. Oh, and Miss Kitty Fantastico never mysteriously disappeared/Was forgotten by the writers.

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"I am going to kill her!" Willow yelled, stomping into the room she shared with Tara, who was sitting on the bed brushing mats out of Miss Kitty's fur.

"Who?" Tara asked, although she knew exactly who her lover was talking about, as there was only one person in the house aside from Willow and herself.

"Kennedy!" Willow growled. "She was faking being sick and she just tried to drag me off to the Bronze with her! Can't she take a hint?! I have a girlfriend!"

"Damn right you do" Tara smiled, pulling Willow down beside her and kissing her. Willow raised an eyebrow.

"Doesn't any of this bother you?"

"Not really. If it didn't bother you, then I might be worried, but I trust you. And I can't blame Kennedy for having great taste in women." Tara kissed Willow again, and the kiss quickly deepened. When Tara began to push Willow back onto the bed, the redhead pulled away, sighing.

"Sorry baby, I can't. That cyclone's supposed to hit soon, remember? I told Buffy I'd tape up the windows and everything. But then Kennedy.." At that moment, the potential slayer in question burst into the room. "Kennedy!" Willow yelled angrily. "I came in here to get away from you!"

"I know" Kennedy panted. "But the cyclone's coming, can't you hear it?" Willow and Tara paused, listening. Sure enough, they could hear a dull roar in the distance.

"Oh goddess!" cried Willow, panicking. "You two are gonna have to help me! Tara, you stay inside and tape the windows, I'll tie down the outdoor furniture, and Kennedy, you go make sure the other potentials haven't left any swords or axes lying around in the backyard, because there's no way that that can end well in this situation!"

The three women each rushed off to carry out their designated task, but they had underestimated how close the cyclone actually was.

"Willow!" Kennedy shouted over the roaring wind as she bolted back towards the house, her arms laden with weapons. "Get inside!"

"In a minute!" Willow yelled back, her anger towards the potential temporararily forgotten in the face of this life threatening situation. "I just have to tie up this chair!"

"No time, look!" Kennedy pointed at the huge whirlwind rapidly closing in. Willow nodded, rushing to the door. Unfortunately, as she opened the door to let herself and Kennedy in, a terrified Miss Kitty ran out, and Tara didn't hesitate to run straight after her.

"Miss Kitty!" she called, chasing after her beloved pet. "Miss Kitty Fantastico, come back here right now!" Willow began to follow her, but Kennedy grabbed her arm.

"Are you nuts? You're going to get yourself killed for some idiot who ran into a cyclone after a cat?!" Willow felt anger bubbling up inside her, and swung her free arm, giving Kennedy a sharp slap to the face.

"You do not talk about Tara like that to me" Willow growled, pulling her arm out of the potential slayer's grasp. "You do not talk about Tara like that at all."

Outside, Tara had just managed to grab hold of Miss Kitty, and she was turning back towards the house, when she heard Willow screaming.

"Tara, look out!" But it was too late. The chair on the porch which Kennedy had stopped Willow from securing slammed into the side of Tara's head, knocking her out.

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The next thing Tara knew, she was back inside the house, in bed, clutching Miss Kitty. Willow was nowhere to be seen. She slowly crept out side, and found herself in a small town of colourful little houses, with a yellow road weaving around them. _"Uh-oh" _she thought to herself.

"I don't think we're in Sunnydale anymore, Miss Kitty."


	2. The Insufferable Brat Of The West

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy.

AN: I may have kinda screwed around with the timeline as to whether or not Faith was actually back in Sunnydale yet at this point, but since it's AU anyway I don't think it really matters. Oh, and I do love Faith, so any unpleasantness directed toward her in this chapter is purely for humor.

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Tara looked around, and swore she heard giggles.

"Hello?" she called. "Is anybody there?" More giggles. However this time, Tara recognised them. "Vi? Amanda? Where are you?" Just as the wicca was about to begin searching for the two potentials, a pink bubble appeared, growing larger and larger, until it burst, leaving Buffy standing before her, a scythe slung over her shoulder.

"Are you a good slayer or a dark slayer?" Buffy asked.

"I'm not a slayer Buffy" said Tara, setting Miss Kitty down beside her. "You know that." Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Of course I know that, but number one, this is your dream, and number two, this is what happens in the movie. So, are you a good slayer, or a dark slayer?"

"Actually, I'm a witch" Tara replied, deciding that it was best to go along with whatever was happening.

"Oh, sorry. The potentials must have mistaken you for a slayer because you killed the Evil Slut-Bitch of the East." Buffy pointed to the house, and sure enough, Faith's boots poked out from under it. Tara winced.

"Oops, sorry."

"No need to be sorry, the potentials were terrified of her. They'd like to welcome you to the land of Sunnyhell, and thank you for killing the Bitch" Buffy waited expectantly for a few moments, before loudly repeating "_I said_, they'd like to welcome you to the land of Sunnyhell and thank you for killing the Bitch!" Rustles were heard from inside of the houses, before a group of familiar potential slayers emerged, dressed in cute childish outfits, each holding a paper letter to spell out the word "Melcome". Buffy slapped her forehead, and Vi nudged Chao-Ahn, who was holding the first letter, meant to be a W, upside down, and showed her the right way to hold it, so that they now spelled "Welcome".

"Welcome to Sunnyhell!" the potentials shouted.

"_Ding-dong the bitch is dead.." _Amanda began to sing, before a really annoying laugh pierced the air, and the potentials screamed and ran back into their houses.

_"That laugh sounds kind of familiar" _Tara thought to herself. Then, up in the sky, riding an axe as though it was a broomstick, Kennedy appeared.

"Crap!" Buffy shouted. "It's the Insufferable Brat Of The West!" Kennedy floated down towards them, climbing off the axe and eyeing Tara critically. Miss Kitty Fantastico hissed at her.

"You're the one who killed Faith huh? Guess I should thank you, since now I get the boots." Kennedy turned to Buffy. "Where are they? Hand them over."

"I can't" Buffy smirked, gesturing to the blonde wicca standing beside her. "She's got them."

"What? No I... oh" Tara realised, looking at her feet.

"Faith promised me those boots" Kennedy snapped. "Give them to me!" Tara lifted her foot and tugged, but the boot wouldn't budge.

"They won't come off."

"Don't be stupid, they have to come off" said Kennedy, stepping forward and reaching toward Tara's foot. "Let me try." But as soon as the Insufferable Brat's hands touched the boot, she was magically thrown backwards, smashing into one of the houses. Buffy burst out laughing, and Tara couldn't help laughing along with her. "You might be laughing now, but you won't be for much longer" Kennedy growled. "I will have those boots, you'll see!" the Brat climbed onto her axe, taking one last look back at Tara. "I'll get you, girlie, and your little cat too!" She emitted another annoying laugh, before flying off into the distance. Once they were sure that she was gone, the potentials crept back out.

"So... what now?" Tara asked, though she knew exactly what was coming next. "How do I get home?"

"You'll need to find the Watcher in Scooby City" Buffy replied.

"And to get there, you'll have to.." Amanda began.

"Follow the Yellow Brick Road, right?"

"Yeah" said Amanda, surprised. "How did you know?"

"Just a hunch" Tara smiled.


	3. A Whole Lot Easier

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy.

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So, Tara began her journey down the yellow brick road, with Miss Kitty padding along beside her. After a while, however, she began to feel slightly frustrated. _"This seems to be taking a lot longer than it did in the movie." _She thought to herself. Then, this being Tara's dream, she arrived at the famous fork in the road. The wicca bit her lip, confused. Tara knew that something was supposed to happen to help her choose which way to go, but for some reason, she couldn't quite remember what.

"Hey there, you look a little lost" said a voice. A very familiar voice. A voice that made Tara's heart beat a little faster everytime she heard it. She spun around in the direction of the voice, beaming when she saw that, hanging up on a pole in the middle of a cornfield, dressed in a scarecrow outfit, was her favourite red-haired wicca.

"Willow!" she cried happily, rushing into the cornfield. Willow gazed down at Tara, looking confused.

"How do you know my name?" she asked. "I don't think we've ever met before, although I probably wouldn't remember if we did, seeing as I don't have a brain. So if we have met, I apologise for not remembering you. Have we met?"

"I guess not" said Tara, trying not to laugh. "You just look like a Willow, that's all. Um, do you want me to get you down?"

"Oh, yes please." Willow smiled, as Tara began loosening the ropes that bound her to the pole. "I've never been able to work out how to do it myself. That's one of the really annoying things about not having a brain, you can never really focus enough to think about anything. And I can never have a proper conversation with anybody because I tend to babble endlessly about nothing in particular, kind of like I'm doing right now and.. ahh!" Willow felt herself fall from the pole, landing right on top of Tara, and sending the two of them tumbling further into the cornfield. Tara burst into a fit of laughter, while Willow blushed furiously.

"I'm sorry!" she cried, scrambling off of Tara and getting to her feet. "I'm sorry, your clothes are all dirty and there's a leaf in your hair and.." Willow paused as she pulled Tara to her feet, feeling a lump in her throat. "You're really pretty. But I shouldn't say that because I don't even know your name and I'm embarrassing myself and I'm babbling again, sorry."

"My name's Tara, and you don't have to be sorry about anything." Tara smiled. "I was nervous when I first met yo.. uh, a friend of mine. If you really want a brain, the Watcher in Scooby City could probably give you one. You can come with me to go see him if you like."

"Oh yes, thank you, that'll be great!" The pair headed back onto the road, where Miss Kitty had been happily sunning herself.

"So, do you know which way to go?" Tara asked.

"Left." Willow replied. As they set off down the road, Miss Kitty began rubbing herself up against Willow's leg. "I think your kitty kinda likes me."

"Yeah, she does." Tara smiled, linking her fingers with Willow's. "And I think I kinda like you too."

"Then we all kinda like each other" said Willow, blushing.

"Yeah" said Tara, her smile growing wider. Having Willow with her, in some form, was definitely going to make this whole experience a lot easier.


	4. The Pancake Tree

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy.

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Tara continued on down the road hand in hand with Willow, Miss Kitty padding along beside them, rubbing herself up against their legs. Every so often, Tara would catch the redhead staring at her, only to quickly look away, blushing furiously, when she noticed her companion had seen. Tara couldn't help but smile. This Willow was so sweet, and no-one else she knew could look that cute as a scarecrow. After a while, Tara's stomach began to rumble. She tried to ignore it, as this was, after all, a dream, and any food she could find wouldn't be real. Willow, however, couldn't ignore the rumbles.

"Are you hungry, Tara?" she asked. "If I remember right, some guy who passed by me once said there was a pancake tree near here."

"A pancake tree?" said Tara, puzzled.

"Uh-huh" said Willow, nodding as she continued walking. "Although I might not remember right because not having a brain makes my memory pretty unreliable and- Oh, I think that's it!" Willow ran to the edge of the road, pulling Tara along behind her, and began pointing excitedly to a tree that did in fact appear to have pancakes growing on it. "It is it! Wow, I actually remembered something! Do you want to go get some?" Tara felt a niggling feeling in the back of her mind that they should not go near the tree, but she was hungry, and Willow's look of excitement was too cute to resist.

"Okay."

"Great!" said Willow, smiling as she and Tara ran to the tree. Miss Kitty sped after them, meowing as if to say 'Don't forget me!' "Do you want funny shapes or rounds? On second thought, why don't we just have both?"

"Sounds good to me" Tara smiled. Willow stood on tip-toe, reaching for a pancake, and soon her hand made contact with one.

"Hey, get your dirty hands off that pancake!" said a voice.

"Who said that?" asked Tara looking around.

"Me!" said the voice, which they now realised was coming from the tree. "Now get lost, these pancakes belong to The Brat!"

"Who?" asked Willow, confused, while Tara sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Kennedy, The Insufferable Brat Of The West!" The tree growled.

"Well, I think Kennedy needs to learn how to share!" Willow reached for the pancake again.

"Oh no you don't!" said the tree, beginning to throw pancakes at the girls, which prompted Miss Kitty to start hissing at it. "Go on, get lost!" Tara grabbed hold of Willow's hand and ran, using her free hand to shield herself from the pancakes that the tree was continuing to hurl at them. When the pair were a safe distance from the tree, they slowed down. Tara sighed as her stomach began rumbling again. All the running had made her even hungrier than before.

"Hey, Tara" said Willow nudging her companion. Tara turned to her, surprised to see Willow pull a pancake out of her shirt and hand it to her, a cheeky smile plastered on her face. "The tree was throwing away heaps, so I managed to catch one."

"Here, you take half" said Tara, tearing it in two. Willow shook her head.

"I'm okay, you don't have to.."

"Take it" Tara insisted. "We're in this together, you deserve it."

"Well.. alright" Willow blushed, taking the half-pancake from Tara and having a small bite of it as they continued down the road, revelling in their first minor victory over the Insufferable Brat.

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AN: Please review!


	5. Twinkies And TinMen

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy.

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After the Pancake tree adventure, Willow the Scarecrow became a lot more relaxed around Tara. She began telling her stories of things she had seen or had happen to her while she was stuck on the pole, the little bird that always sat on her head because she wasn't really a very good scarecrow, and the night that she had caught a cold hanging out in the rain and the traveller who had told her about the pancake tree stopped to give her his jacket.

"He seemed really nice, and he had this kinda weird name that I can't remember, and he gave me this cake-thing that he said was called a Twinkie" Willow explained. "He said he'd pick up his jacket when he came back past, but he never did. I've always wondered what happened to him.. whenever I remembered to wonder what happened to him, that is." At that moment, Miss Kitty Fantastico, who had been playing with a butterfly a few steps ahead of them, chased her prey off the side of the road.

"Miss Kitty, come back!" Tara cried, as she and Willow ran after the cat. "We have to keep to the path!" Miss Kitty ignored her owner's call, pouncing at the butterfly, finally catching it as it landed on a foot. A metal foot. A metal foot that, upon closer investigation, was found to belong to a metal person.

"He looks kind of familiar" said Willow, cocking her head at the person as she examined him. Tara couldn't agree more, the person was familiar. He was extremely familiar, because, as it so happened, he was Xander. Xander was her Tin-man. Before Tara's giggles had the chance to escape from her mouth, Xander let out a barely audible mumble. "What did he say?" asked Willow, leaning closer.

"Twink-ees" Xander mumbled.

"Those cake things?"

"Yeah" said Tara, trying not to laugh out loud at the fact that Twinkies were Xander's oil can as she scanned the surrounding area for the snack in question, eventually spotting Miss Kitty sniffing at a box of them a few metres away. "Miss Kitty, get away from those they're people food." Tara walked over and picked up the box before moving back to Xander. His metalic lips were clamped tightly shut, and she had a feeling that he would not be able to open it on his own. "Willow, can you hold his mouth open for me?"

"Sure" said Willow, moving to Xander and wrenching the Tin-man's mouth open. "But why?"

"I think he'll be able to move if he eats a twinkie" Tara explained, gently pushing the cake into Xander's mouth. His jaw was stiff, so Willow made the chewing motions for him. Soon the jaw was moving on it's own, and after three more twinkies, so was the rest of him.

"Gee, thanks" said Tin-man Xander, jiggling his limbs as he readjusted to movement. "I've been stuck there for ages. I'm Xander, by the way."

"I'm Tara, and this is.."

"Xander!" Willow cried, a sudden look of recognition crossing her face. "Xander! I knew you looked familiar, you're the guy who told me about the pancake tree!"

"Right, I remember you" said Xander, after looking at her for a second. "You're Willow, the scarecrow. How'd you get off the pole?"

"Tara got me down" Willow explained. "We're going to see the Watcher in Scooby City so I can get a brain, and Tara and Miss Kitty can find a way home. You, uh, look a little different. What happened?"

"Kennedy the Insufferable Brat caught me stealing from her pancake tree" Xander began. "It wasn't my fault really, I didn't know the tree belonged to someone, and I tried to explain to her, but she wouldn't listen. She just said that it was really heartless of me to take something that wasn't mine, and then she turned me into this, and now I don't have a heart."

"Well that's just wrong!" Willow growled, beginning to hate Kennedy more the more she heard of her. "You were never heartless, you were really kind, you gave me your jacket 'cause I was sick, and shared your twinkies. You know what, I bet the Watcher could give you a new heart if you asked. You can come with us to go see him, right Tara?"

"Sure, of course he can" Tara replied, smiling.

"Wow, that'll be great, thanks!" said Xander, grinning. So the newly formed trio, or quartet if you counted Miss Kitty, headed back onto the road. Unfortunately, they had only travelled a short distance when, appearing before them in a puff of smoke, was the Insufferable Brat herself.

"Okay, which one of you sneaky little... Oh, you are so dead!" Kennedy yelled, pointing accusingly at Tara. "First you take Faith's boots away from me, and now you steal from my pancake tree! I'm so gonna kill.."

"She didn't touch your stupid tree!" Willow cried, leaping protectively in front of Tara. "It was me, so leave Tara alone!"

"Hey, you're kinda cute" said Kennedy, smirking seductively as she reached out to stroke Willow's hair. "How'd you like to come back to the castle with me and forget this whole thing?" Willow quickly pulled away from her.

"Are you insane?" she growled, a disgusted look on her face. "You're an evil Insufferable brat!" Kennedy felt anger bubbling up inside of her as she saw Willow's hand instinctively entwine itself with Tara's.

"You choose that thieving little bitch over me? Fine!" Kennedy growled. The brat clicked her fingers, and Willow shrieked with fear as she found herself covered in frogs.

"Ahh! Get them off, get them off!" she squealed. Kennedy let out her trademark annoying laugh as Tara and Xander leapt to the scarecrow's aid, seizing the frogs and hurling them as far away as possible. Tara turned to Kennedy and glared at her, but the Insufferable brat just laughed.

"Have fun with your new little friends while you can, girlie" she sneered. "I'll come for my boots soon enough, and unfortunately, I can't take them unless you die." With that, the Insufferable Brat disappeared, leaving only smoke behind her.

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AN: Please review!


	6. Demons and Hell Gods And Vamps, Oh My!

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy.

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"Where'd she go?" Willow growled after all the frogs had been dealt with, staring into the puff of smoke as it cleared. "Where'd that stupid little brat go?"

"No idea" Tara sighed. "There's nothing we can really do about it now, let's just keep going." Xander agreed, and Willow nodded, but her anger showed no sign of subsiding.

"Kennedy can't just threaten you like that and get away with it!" the scarecrow cried. "I won't let her hurt you Tara, that's a promise. I'll get you to the Watcher, whether I get a brain or not!" Tara turned to Willow, beaming when she saw that the other woman was wearing her resolve face. Unable to help herself, she leaned over and placed a kiss on the scarecrow's cheek, causing her to blush furiously.

"And I'll get you to the Watcher, whether I get a heart or not!" yelled Xander. He closed his eyes and leaned in expectantly, waiting for his own kiss on the cheek, but when he opened them a few seconds later, Willow and Tara, hand in hand, had already set off down the road. "Hey, that's not fair!" He looked down at Miss Kitty, who sat beside him licking her paws clean of cream from the twinkie she had stolen when Xander had dropped the box to help relieve Willow of the frogs. "Do you think that's fair?" The cat glanced up at the tin-man for a second, before padding off after the two women. Xander pouted, picking up the dropped box of twinkies before following. "I wanted a kiss too..."

After a while, the road lead the group into a deep, dark forest.

"This place is creepy" said Willow, a little frightened, leaning closer to Tara.

"Really creepy" agreed Xander, looking around. "It looks like a breeding ground for demons."

"And hell-gods!" Willow added.

"And vamps!" Xander finished.

"Demons and hell-gods and vamps, oh my!" said Tara, laughing. She stopped when Xander and Willow gave her strange looks. "Uh.. it's a joke, forget about it." As they headed further into the forest, Miss Kitty Fantastico began sniffing at a bush, when suddenly, a demon leapt out of it, snarling.

"Ahhh!" screamed Willow.

"A demon!" screamed Xander. Somehow the demon seemed strangely familiar to Tara, but she had no time to dwell on this, as the demon began chasing she and her companions around in circles. Then, something small and fluffy shot out of the bushes, and the demon shrieked in horror, her demonic features disappearing as it ducked behind the nearest person, which happened to be Xander.

"Keep that floppy-eared beast away from me!" it screamed. Smiling at the bunny rabbit that sat before them nibbling a patch of grass at the edge of the road, Tara smiled, turning to face the demon cowering behind Xander while Miss Kitty hissed at the rabbit, causing it to flee. Only one person she knew could be so frightened by a bunny. Realising that the bunny was gone, the cowardly demon Anya stepped out from behind Xander, looking slightly embarrassed. "I hate those little twitchy nosed monsters, always scaring me in the middle of something important" she glanced down at Miss Kitty Fantastico. "Thank you for making it go away."

"Uh, I don't mean to offend you or anything" said Willow, "but you're a demon, why are you afraid of bunnies?"

"I don't know, they've just always creeped me out" said Anya. "I hate it! The other demons think I'm a joke, 'All hail Anyanka, the patron saint of scorned women and bunny phobias!'. All that teasing gets to you after a while. I really wish I'd just wake up one day and the nasty little fluffers wouldn't scare me anymore."

"You could come with us to see the Watcher, if you want" Xander offered. With out her demon-y features, Anyanka didn't seem scary to him at all. In fact, she was kind of cute. "He could give you more courage." The demon considered this for a moment.

"Really?"

"Sure he could" Xander smiled.

"Okay then, I'll come. By the way, you can call me Anya for short." As they continued through the forest with no further demonic, or fluffy, interruptions, Tara couldn't help the grin that spread across her face. Her little group was now complete, and they'd soon be in Scooby city. Every step took her closer to home.

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AN: Please Review!


	7. Memories

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy.

AN: This is probably the chapter most greatly altered from the actual Wizard of Oz storyline, so I hope you like it.

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Meanwhile, in an enormous dark castle that lay not too far beyond Scooby City, Kennedy watched Tara's progress through a crystal ball. She frowned.

"If she makes it to the Watcher and finds a way home, I might never get Faith's boots" The Insufferable Brat growled to herself. But then she grinned evilly, a devious plot filling her mind as she moved to search through a chest full of magical supplies, pulling out a sprig of Lethe's bramble. "The witch and her little friends won't be able to get to the Watcher if they forget who they are.."

Tara and the gang were well on their way to Scooby City. Unfortunately, this final leg of the journey had taken quite a bit longer than it would have if Anya had not decided to tag along, as bunnies had run across their path a couple of times, causing the cowardly demon to scream and hide behind Xander, refusing to move until she was absolutely sure that the bunnies were gone. When a family of five rabbits had crossed the road they were held up for nearly an hour, and would have been longer if Xander hadn't decided to just pick Anya up and carry her until she calmed down. Thankfully, they were now back on track. The group turned a corner, finding that the road now ran into a field of strange blue-flowered plants. For a second Tara was gripped with panic, knowing she shouldn't walk through these plants, but suddenly finding her mind blank as to what the plant was called, and why it was dangerous.

"Tara, look!" cried Willow, pointing excitedly. "Scooby City, on the other side of this field! We're nearly there!" Tara turned to smile at the scarecrow, only to realise that she couldn't remember her name. Looking around at her other companions, she found herself unable to remember their names either. Then, with the biggest shock of all, the blonde wicca realised that she didn't remember her_ own_ name. Who was she? Where was she? Why was she surrounded by these strange-looking people? Willow noticed Tara's slightly panicked expression, and reached out to take her hand. "Tara, are you okay?" Tara pulled away from Willow, frightened.

"W-who are y-you?" the wicca stuttered.

"Tara, it's me, Willow. We're friends, we're going to see the Watcher together, remember?" said Willow, worried about her friend.

"N-no, I d-don't know y-you!" Tara cried, fear causing her long-abandoned stutter to return as she looked around at her now unfamiliar companions. "I d-dont know a-any of y-you!" The blonde collapsed into a sobbing heap, and Willow once again felt anger fill her.

"It's Kennedy, the stupid brat must have done something" she said to the others. "We have to help Tara remember.."

"Who the hell are you people?!" yelled Anya suddenly, reverting to her demon face. _"Crap" _Willow thought. Whatever was happening to Tara was now obviously affecting Anya as well. Before long, they might all be blubbering messes with no memory of each other. The scarecrow looked to Xander, telling him to watch Anya while she took care of Tara, only to find that the tin-man had stiffened up, and was once again unable to move. _"Double crap"_ Willow thought.

"Look, Anya.."

"Hey, only my friends can call me Anya!"

"I am your friend" Willow sighed. "Someone's done something that's making you forget. Now, see that box of cakey things the metal guy is holding? I need you to try and make him eat one."

"Okay" said Anya warily. "But if he turns into a giant bunny or something I swear to wreak horrible vengeange upon you." Willow rolled her eyes at the demon, before moving to pick up Miss Kitty Fantastico and crouch in front of Tara, who sat with her head buried in her hands.

"Look, Tara" the scarecrow said softly. "It's Miss Kitty. You remember Miss Kitty, right?"

"N-no" Tara sobbed.

"Come on, Tara, we're friends. We're.." Willow paused, unsure how to continue. "We're kind of more than friends, I think."

"I d-don't remember.."

"You have to" Willow continued, placing Miss Kitty on the ground. "You have to wake up and snap out of this. Come on, look at me." Tara shook her head. "Please Tara, look at me." The wicca shook her head again, her gaze still fixed stubbornly on the ground. Willow was beginning to become frustrated. She didn't want to have to play rough with her friend, but the wicca had given her no choice. "Look at me!" The scarecrow grabbed Tara's face, tilting it up so that she was forced to make eye-contact. "Wake up, Tara! You have to wake up!"

These words broke the Insufferable Brat's spell, because in that moment, Tara could feel that those words had not only been said by Willow the scarecrow, but also by the real Willow in Sunnydale, and she knew she had to get back to her. Scarecrow Willow's eyes lit up when she realised that the wicca remembered her, and Tara hugged her tight, smiling as they got to their feet.

"Thank you" she whispered.

"Hurry up!" Anya whined, with her own spell broken and Xander back in commission, she was eager too move on. "I want to see the Watcher before I turn five thousand!"

Kennedy scowled, watching as the happy group escaped her trap and continued on their journey. But it wasn't a complete loss. Now the Insufferable Brat knew where the road to her victory lay. If she was going to defeat Tara, she would have to separate her from her little scarecrow...

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AN: Please review!


	8. The Vamp Who Guards The Gate

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy.

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The group moved through the field of Lethe's bramble as quickly as they could after that, and thankfully, they faced no further trouble.

"Wow" said Willow, she, Tara, and Xander gazing up in awe as they stood before Scooby City's enormous gates.

"Yeah, wow" Tara agreed. "I didn't think it would be so big..."

"Yes, it's big, it's huge, it's amazing" said Anya, tapping her foot impatiently. "Now would somebody just knock already?"

"Okay" Tara nodded, taking a deep breath as she stepped closer to the gate. "Here goes nothing." She reached out towards the doorknocker, which was in the shape of a vampire's head, then hesitated. She had no idea why, it was only a gate after all. Tara felt a hand wrap around her own, giving it a comforting squeeze. She didn't have to look to see whose it was. She also couldn't help feeling that the very same person was holding her hand back in Sunnydale. Tara came to the realisation that where Willow was concerned, the line between the real world and her dream world was beginning to blur. Hopefully, that meant she was close to waking up. She turned and gave the scarecrow a quick smile of thanks before completing her task of knocking at the gate. A few minutes later, a small hatch in the door opened, and the familiar face of Spike poked out. He narrowed his eyes at the strange group.

"What do you want?" he snapped.

"We're here to see the Watcher" said Tara.

"Well, you can't. He's busy."

"But we've travelled a long way, and faced many bunnies" said Anya.

"Yeah" said Xander. "Willow needs a brain, I need a heart, Anya needs courage, and Tara and Miss Kitty need to find a way home. You have to let us in."

"No" said Spike. "Come back tomorrow, and I'll think about it." With that, he slammed the hatch in their faces.

"I've just decided I really hate that guy" said Xander, pointing angrily at the hatch through which Spike had disappeared. "Who's with me?" Anya raised her hand, and Miss Kitty gave a soft mew. Willow sighed, and turned to Tara.

"What are we gonna do now?"

"We're not giving up, that's for sure" said Tara, looking around at her friends. "We've come too far for that. We just need a plan. Any ideas?" Anya raised her hand again, earning a slight laugh from Tara, and after the group had listened to the demon's plan, Tara knocked on the gate again. The hatch swung open, and Spike rolled his eyes.

"Bloody hell! I told you to come back tomorrow, now sod off!" The vamp was about to slam the hatch again but Tara stopped him.

"I don't think you want to do that, Spike."

"How does she know his name?" Xander whispered to Willow beside him.

"Don't know" Willow whispered back, "I think she's just really good at guessing."

"Why the bloody hell not?" Spike growled.

"Well, my friend here" Tara gestured to Anya, who reverted to her demon face, "Is really the vengeance demon Anyanka, the patron saint of scorned women." Spike gulped.

"Yup" said Willow. "And it just so happens that Tara and I are feeling pretty scorned right now, mister. So if you don't open the gate and let us in, we might just have to make a little wish.." Spike's already pale face turned even paler, if that was possible. He suddenly felt a lot more accomodating to the strange little group.

"Alright, I'll let you in. As for seein' the Watcher, I can't promise anything." The vamp disappeared, and a few minutes later the gate swung slowly open, allowing Tara and her friends to enter. Xander blew a rasberry at Spike.

"Don't push it, whelp" said Spike, his eyebrows narrowed. "Unless there's a patron saint of scorned tin-men around here, there's no reason I can't chuck you right back out."

* * *

AN: Please review!


	9. The Watcher

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy.

AN: Sooo sorry I haven't updated, I've just been really distracted with other stuff.

* * *

"I'll go see what I can do about the Watcher" said Spike, pushing through the crowd as they walked further into the city, the group looking around at the strange sights. "Just let me call somebody to show you around, so ya don't go gettin' yourselves lost. Lil'bit!" he called. No answer. "Oi, Lil'bit!" he tried again, becoming frustrated when there was still no response. "Bloody hell, where is that kid? DAWN!" The vamp yelled. A few seconds later, Tara spotted the familiar form of the youngest Summers girl making her way towards them.

"What is it Spike?" the teen asked.

"I need you keep an eye on this lot while I go see if the Watcher's got an opening for 'em" Spike replied, walking off. "And please bit, answer next time I call, will ya? Buffy'll stake me if anything happens to ya while she's away."

"Okay, sorry Spike" said Dawn. Spike nodded, accepting the girl's apology and walking away. Dawn turned back to the rest of the group. "Gee, I'm gonna have to get you guys smartened up a bit if you're gonna see the Watcher."

"What do you mean by that?" cried Anya, insulted. "I am already quite intelligent, thank you!" Tara and Willow couldn't help giggling, so Xander was left to help Anya understand the true meaning of Dawn's words.

"It's nothing to do with your intelligence, Ahn" the tin-man explained. "It means she's gonna help us get dressed up nicely for the Watcher."

"Oh" said Anya. "Well that's alright then."

--

So, Dawn took the group to Scooby City's leading hair, make-up, and fashion specialist, Cordelia. She examined them with a critical eye.

"Well, these two have potential" she said, gesturing to Tara and Anya, before turning to Willow and Xander, looking slightly disgusted. "But these two.. I don't know what the hell I'm gonna do with them." Tara felt anger bubble up inside her as she looked over at Willow, who was staring at her feet embarassed. Sure, her clothes were dirty and covered in patches, and the edges of her straw hat were frayed, but she was a scarecrow for god's sake! And in Tara's eyes, Willow the scarecrow was absolutely adorable.

"I bet you wouldn't look so great either if you'd been hanging on a wooden pole your whole life" she said to Cordelia, squeezing Willow's hand when the scarecrow gave her a thankful smile.

"And Xander's looks are really quite appealing for a man made out of metal" Anya added. Before Cordy could deliver a comeback to these comments, Spike appeared.

"There you lot are, I've been looking for you. The Watcher said he'll see you now. He's very interested in seein' you, as a matter of fact."

"Interested? Why?" asked Tara, confused.

"Word's gettin' round about you, luv" Spike grinned. "Like how you killed the evil Slut-bitch, and now the Insufferable Brat's after you."

"Great" Tara muttered.

--

Spike led them to the entrance of the Watcher's chamber, and ushered them inside. Anya suddenly let out a piercing scream.

"WHO DARES TO MAKE SUCH NOISE IN MY CHAMBERS?" a voice boomed.

"Nice one, Ahn" Xander admonished the demon. "Why'd you have to go and scream like that?"

"Sorry" said Anya defensively. "That shadow over there looked like a bunny." The group crept further into the chamber, now finding themselves standing front of Giles' giant disembodied head. Tara struggled to stop herself from laughing.

"WHICH ONE OF YOU IS TARA?" the head boomed. Tara stepped forward, but left one hand entwined with Willow's. "WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS HERE?"

"I need to find a way home" Tara began, "and my friends.."

"IF YOUR COMPANIONS WANT SOMETHING, THEY MUST ASK FOR IT THEMSELVES." On hearing these words, Willow stepped forward, still clinging to Tara's hand.

"I've come to ask for a brain" she said.

"I'd like a new heart" said Xander.

"And I want courage" said Anya. "Give me courage." The Watcher paused thinking for a moment.

"I WILL GRANT YOUR REQUESTS" he began, "ON ONE CONDITION.."

"Here we go" said Willow rolling her eyes.

"YOU MUST BRING ME THE AXE OF THE INSUFFERABLE BRAT."

"You mean that little psycho who made us lose our memories on the way here?" asked Anya. "Why would we.."

"SILENCE. THE WATCHER HAS SPOKEN."

--

"I can't believe I've been dragged into this whole stupid mess with you guys" Anya complained as they set off for Kennedy's castle. "I never asked for any of this, I just..."

"Anya" Willow said beginning to become annoyed as she span around to face the demon. "Do you want your courage or not?"

"Well, yes.."

"Then shut up."


	10. Attack Of The Giant Flying Bunnies

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy.

* * *

Tara and her gang of strange little friends continued down the yellow brick road, eventually coming to the dark forest that they would need to pass through to reach Kennedy's castle. The trees cast huge shadows over the path, and their branches were curled like claws. Anya shivered.

"This place is even creepier than the forest _I _live in."

"Not getting any arguments here Ahn" said Xander.

"We just have to keep going" said Tara, leaning over to scoop up Miss Kitty who seemed very reluctant to enter the forest.

"Yeah" Willow grinned, trying to sound as enthusiastic as she could in order to raise the others spirits. "Once we steal the axe from that brat Kennedy, this'll all be over."

--

Meanwhile, Kennedy watched the scene in her crystal ball, scowling.

"This has gone far enough, that little bitch is really starting to piss me off!" she growled. Then the brat paused, her scowl transforming into an evil grin as her mind formed a plan. "Well, if Tara wants to come to my castle so badly, who am I to deny her the pleasure? In fact, I might just give her a little lift." Kennedy's grin widened and she walked over to a large cage containing what appeared to be a flock of giant winged bunny rabbits. She opened the cage and led the creatures over to the window, giving them their orders. "Bring me the girl with the boots, and her little kitty too. Leave the others, they'll be too much trouble if we keep them together. Now fly my little fluffers, fly, fly!" The Insufferable brat laughed her annoying laugh as the bunnies leapt out the window, heading for Tara and her friends.

--

Unfortunately, the group was completely unaware of the trouble that awaited them. Tara was gently stroking Miss Kitty Fantastico, whispering words of comfort to her frightened pet as she walked. Willow clung tightly to Tara's arm, and Anya was crouching behind Xander. Then, the demon gave a mighty scream, shattering the silence of the forest.

"Anya!" Willow scolded, spinning around. "Do you want the Brat to find us? You can't just go and scream at every shadow that looks kind of like a bunny."

"Um, Willow?" said Xander, eyes widening slightly as Anya cowered behind him. "I don't think she's afraid of a shadow this time."

"Then what is she afraid of?" the scarecrow asked, becoming annoyed.

"GIANT FLYING BUNNIES!" Anya screamed, turning around and running back down the road the same way they had come.

"Anya!" cried Xander, chasing after the demon. "Anya, stop, come back!" Before Willow had really had time to process what had just happened, one of the bunnies swooped down and snatched Tara and Miss Kitty up in it's claws.

"Willow, help!" Tara cried.

"Tara!" Willow yelled, grabbing hold of her friend's foot before the bunny could pull her out of reach. "Let go of her you fluffy little monster!" Remembering Kennedy's order to bring only Tara and Miss Kitty, the other bunnies began swooping around Willow, scratching and biting at the scarecrow in an attempt to make her let go. "Hey, stop that! Stop.. ouch!" One of the bunnies took a particularly nasty bite at Willow's hand, forcing her to release her grip on Tara's leg. The bunnies then began to fly off, taking Tara with them. "No, Tara!" Willow cried as she began to give chase, nursing her injured hand. She ran until her legs felt like they were going to drop off, then kept running some more. She occasionally leapt into the air, trying to re-establish her hold on Tara's leg, but it was useless. Still, however hopeless the situation may have seemed, Willow would not give up, and would have kept running still if she hadn't tripped over. "Don't worry Tara!" she called up to her friend. "I'll go find the others and think of a plan. I'll save you, that's a promise!"


	11. Miss Kitty's Great escape

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy.

* * *

Tara didn't doubt that Willow would do her best to rescue her, but that didn't really make her feel any better. Willow the scarecrow was her greatest link to the real Willow back in Sunnydale, and being away from her made her feel further away from home than she ever had before. Before long, the bunnies reached Kennedy's castle, unceremoniously dumping Tara at the brat's feet.

"Well, well, who do we have here?" Kennedy smirked. Tara avoided the brat's eyes, not wanting her to see the the fear that was beginning to fill her own. She still clutched Miss Kitty Fantastico tightly to her chest. The feline's eyes darted around the room, afraid of her new surroundings but not willing to leave the comfort of her owner's arms. Tara was happy to keep it that way, seeing her pet as a kind of security blanket. Kennedy noticed this and gave an evil grin, before gesturing to one of the bunnies. "Take the cat" she ordered.

"No!" Tara cried, as the bunny clamped onto Miss Kitty's collar with it's teeth and hauled her out of her arms. "Don't take her, please!"

I _might _let you have her back" said Kennedy, "If you hand over the boots."

"I c-can't" stuttered Tara as she tugged at the footwear in question. "T-they won't c-come off."

"Then I'm sure we can find someone who could make a nice snack out of your precious little kitty" the brat smirked. At that moment, Miss Kitty Fantastico sprang to life. She swiped at the bunny's nose, shocking it into releasing her, then bolted out the door.

"Run, Miss Kitty!" Tara called after her pet. "Go find Willow!" Hearing this, the Insufferable brat grew suddenly angry.

"Your stupid little scarecrow can't help you now" she growled. "You'll be dead long before she gets here. When you killed Faith, the boots came to you. If I kill you, I'm guessing it will have the same result." She pulled Tara up by her hair, making the witch yelp, before shoving her into a seat near a table with a crystal ball on it and grabbing an hourglass, which she slammed down next to the ball. "See this? This is how long you have to live." Kennedy smirked evilly, before turning and stalking out of the room. "Enjoy your last hours girlie."

--

Meanwhile, Willow was wandering through the forest in search of Xander and Anya, but wasn't having much luck. She was feeling very annoyed with one certain demonic friend. If Anya hadn't freaked out and ran off when the bunnies came, Xander wouldn't have had to follow her, and they might have been able to stop the bunnies from taking Tara. Willow shook her head. Now was not the time to dwell on what ifs. She promised Tara that she'd rescue her, and, come hell or highwater, that was a promise she intended to keep.

"Xander!" she called into the trees for what felt like the billionth time. "Xander, Anya! Where are you?" Finally, there came a response.

"Over here, Will!" The tin man called. Willow ran in the direction that the voices had come from, and found Xander trying to coax Anya off of the tree stump she had planted herself on, refusing to move until Xander agreed to leave the forest rather than head back into known bunny territory. The tin man looked up Willow ran over to them, his smile in greeting soon turning to a frown when he noticed the look of worry on the scarecrow's face, as well as the absence of their other friend. "Where's Tara?" he asked, dreading the answer.

"And Miss Kitty" Anya added. "I like that cat, it scares bunnies."

"The bunnies took them" Willow explained.

"Well, it was nice knowing them" sighed Anya, standing up. "I say we just head back to Scooby city and..."

"No" Willow growled, cutting the demon off as she attempted to flee again. "We are going to rescue Tara. We have to."

"She's right, Ahn" said Xander, "we can't just leave her behind."

"But we'll never find her" Anya complained. "We've been screwed around so much we don't even know which way the castle is anymore." As the demon said this, Miss Kitty shot out of the bushes, leaping into Willow's arms.

"I'm guessing that way" Willow grinned, heading off in the direction Miss Kitty had come. "Now come on, we've got a wicca to rescue."


	12. A Scarecrow Always Keeps Her Promises

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy.

* * *

With the help of Miss Kitty Fantastico, Willow, Xander, and Anya eventually found their way to The Insufferable Brat's castle. A group of commandos were marching into the castle, and giant flying bunnies swooped around the roof. Anya made another attempt to flee, but Xander and Willow stopped her, each grabbing an arm to prevent her from making any noise and giving away their position in the bushes.

"You want to get over your bunny phobia? Well, this is how you learn, by facing it!" Willow hissed. She turned back to watch the commandos, who each wore strange helmets that covered their faces. This gave the scarecrow an idea, and she whispered it aside to Xander, who then passed the plan on to Anya. Then, when the last lot of commandos were making their way into the castle, the trio seized hold of the three closest to the rear and dragged them into the bushes, knocking them unconscious and stealing their uniforms. After they put the uniforms on, Willow tucked Miss Kitty down the front of her shirt, and the group stepped into formation with the other commandos, undetected.

--

Meanwhile, Tara remained in the room that Kennedy had locked her in. She tried to find a way out, but it was no use. She glanced at the hourglass on the table. It was already half empty, she didn't have much time left.

_"Tara?" _Came a voice, seemingly from the crystal ball beside the hourglass. _"Tara, can you hear me baby?"_

"Willow!" Tara cried, running over to the crystal ball, in which the form of the real Willow was visible. "Willow, I'm here!"

_"Please wake up Tara" _The Willow in the crystal ball cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. _"Come back to me, please, I need you!"_

"Willow!" Tara yelled, grabbing the ball and shaking it. "Willow!" Suddenly, the image in the ball began to twist and contort, becoming the image of Kennedy, laughing her annoying evil laugh.

_"You're little sweetie looks a lot like that scarecrow doesn't she? Well, you'll never see her again!" _she cackled, as her face faded into the mist. Tara returned the crystal ball to it's position on the table and dropped to her knees, sobbing. The hourglass was almost empty. She was never going to get home now. She was never going to see Willow again, the real one or the scarecrow version. She was never going to see any of her friends. She was never going to make pancakes for Dawnie and the potentials in the morning(It occurred to her now that the real Kennedy had never eaten her pancakes, she'd said something about too many carbs). Just as the final grains of sand trickled through the hourglass, the door was kicked open, and a person dressed in head-to-toe commando gear entered the room. Tara looked up. She had seen the commandos marching into the castle from the window.

"If you're here to kill me just get it overwith" said Tara, her cheeks stained with tears. Her gaze dropped to the ground and she continued to sob. The commando took a step closer to to Tara, and a small furry bundle leapt out of it's shirt, landing in the wicca's lap and purring loudly. "Miss Kitty! Oh no, did they catch you again?" Miss Kitty continued to purr, then jumped out of Tara's lap and began rubbing herself up against the commando's leg. This confused Tara, until she frowned and squinted at something. Was that a piece of straw sticking out of the commando's shoe? Tara looked up with a lump in her throat, hardly daring to believe it. "Willow?" The helmet came off, revealing a familiar rehaired scarecrow with a goofy grin. "Willow!" Tara cried, flying into the scarecrow's arms. "I thought you weren't coming!"

"Why would you think that?" Willow frowned. "I promised I'd rescue you didn't I? And a scarecrow always keeps her promises. Now come on" she smiled, taking Tara's hand. "The others are waiting outside."


	13. The Fall Of The Brat

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy.

* * *

"Xander, Anya!" Tara cried happily, pulling both of her friends into a hug when she saw them in the hallway. "Oh I'm so happy you came."

"I didn't want to, I was forced against my will" said Anya, glaring at Willow and Xander before sighing and returning Tara's hug. "But I'm happy you didn't die."

"Thanks Anya" Tara laughed.

"Okay guys, now we have to get out of here, come on" said Willow, grabbing Tara's hand and speeding off down the hall. Xander grabbed Anya and followed, with Miss Kitty Fantastico padding along beside them. They moved through the halls of the castle as quickly and quietly as they could. They had to stop and hide a few times to avoid being seen by a stray flying bunny or patrolling commando, but other than that faced little trouble. Until...

"And where do you think you're going?" Kennedy growled, appearing suddenly before them and blocking the staircase that formed part of their only possible escape route.

"We're getting Tara out of here and away from you, stupid brat" Willow growled back, stepping protectively in front of her friend. Kennedy just smirked.

"If you lot think you're taking that little bitch anywhere before I get my boots you've got another thing coming." The brat snapped her fingers and a gang of commandos sprang to her side. "Bring me the girl. Kill the others this time, they cause too much trouble."

"You can't have Tara!" Willow yelled as the commandos approached them. "I won't let you hurt her!" One of the commandos swung a fist at Willow, hitting the scarecrow square in the face and sending her sprawling to the ground.

"Willow!" Tara cried, dropping to the scarecrow's side while Miss Kitty began to hiss and swipe her claws at the person who had hit her. A purple bruise was already beginning to form on Willow's cheek. Kennedy just laughed. Tara glared at the brat. Anyone who knew Tara Maclay could tell you that it took a lot to really piss her off, but this was the final straw. She just snapped.

"You are the most evil, horrible, selfish, disgusting person that I have ever met!" Tara yelled, stepping towards The Insufferable Brat and leaving the injured Willow in Xander's care.

"Well what do you know?" Kennedy smirked. "Looks like you've got a bit of backbone after all."

"You really don't give a damn about anybody other than yourself do you? Everything's fine as long as the Insufferable Brat gets what she wants."

"Got that right."

"I hate you!" Tara yelled, continuing her rant. "I've almost never hated anyone before, but I'm making an exception for you. Words cannot describe how much I hate you! I wish you'd just turn into a big frothy pile of dog vomit!" This final sentence yielded a result that Tara had not anticipated, because suddenly, Anya's face morphed into its demon form.

"Wish granted" she growled. Kennedy screamed. Her skin bubbled as her molecular structure altered.

"What's happening to me?" She shrieked. "I feel like.. I.. I'm melting!" And melt she did. Soon, just as Tara had wished, a big frothy pile of dog vomit was all that remained of The Insufferable Brat Of The West. Tara stared at it in shock. She turned to Anya.

"Wha.. why did you.."

"You made that wish out of vengeance for what happened to Willow, so I granted it" the demon explained. "Plus, I just really didn't like her. Nobody who keeps giant flying bunnies could ever be good."

"Can't argue with her there" said Willow, standing and rubbing her bruised cheek.

"You okay Will?" Tara asked.

"Yeah, us scarecrows are tough" she replied. "Kinda makes up for the whole not having a brain thing." One of the commandos, all of whom had been standing around in stunned silence since Kennedy's destruction, finally decided to speak.

"You killed her!" The commando cried, removing his helmet and revealing himself as Riley. "You really killed her!"

"Yeah, so sorry about that" said Xander sarcastically. "On second thought, no we're not."

"You don't understand, this is great!" said Riley, grinning like an idiot. "We're free, we're finally free!" He threw his arms around Tara. "How can we possibly repay you? We'll do anything!" The other commandos all nodded and murmured their agreement.

"Well, The Watcher did ask us to bring him Kennedy's axe" said Tara.

"Of course!" cried Riley. "I'll fetch it for you right away!" He ran off to get the axe, but unfortunately slipped in The Insufferable Brat's remains and fell down the stairs.

"Right" said Xander. "So, who votes we just get the axe ourselves and head back to Scooby City?"


	14. The Watcher's Gifts

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy.

* * *

When the group arrived back at Scooby City and knocked on the gate, the bleached blonde vamp who guarded it seemed pleasantly surprised to see them.

"Wow, you lot all made it back in one piece, and you got the axe!" Then he frowned. "Bloody hell, now I owe the Lil' bit fifty dollars.."

--

Spike led them to the Watcher's chamber, stopping once on the way to deal with a very smug looking Dawn.

"WHO DARES DISTURB THE GREAT WATCHER?" the giant Giles head boomed as they entered.

"Its us" said Tara, holding up Kennedy's axe. "We brought you the brat's axe, just like you asked."

"Yes. I want my courage now" said Anya. Xander nudged her lightly. "Please" she added.

"YES, WELL UH... I DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO GRANT YOUR REQUESTS RIGHT NOW. COME BACK TOMORROW."

"Come back tomorrow?!" yelled Xander, annoyed. "You make us go through all that crap then tell us to come back tomorrow?!"

"YES. NOW LEAVE, THE WATCHER HAS SPOKEN."

"Oh no, I don't think so mister" said Willow, hands on her hips. "You said you'd help Tara get home, give me a brain, and Xander a heart, and Anya courage, and we're not leaving until you do!"

"HOW DARE YOU DEFY ME, THE GREAT AND POWERFUL WATCHER?" The head boomed. "I AM THE RULER OF THE LAND OF SUNNYHELL!" As the Watcher continued his rant, a curious Miss Kitty Fantastico crept over to a fluttering curtain in the corner, preparing to pounce. "I HAVE POWER THAT YOU CANNOT POSSIBLY IMAGINE, AND.." Miss Kitty pounced, tearing down the curtain to reveal Andrew pulling levers and speaking into a megaphone. "UH.. PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE NERD BEHIND THE CURTAIN!" he yelled, trying to fix the curtain and shoo Miss Kitty away.

"Hey!" cried Xander, walking over and grabbing Andrew by the scruff of the neck. "You're not a Watcher at all are you? You're just some nerd!" He dropped Andrew, sighing. "Well, there goes my heart."

"And my brain" added Willow.

"And my courage" Anya finished, glaring at Andrew. "Will one of you make a wish so I can hurt him? Something in the area of disembowelling or a violent castration would be nice."

"Whoa, whoa hold on there for a second!" cried Andrew, panicking. "I admit, I'm not actually a Watcher. The people here just assumed I was when I started giving them useful information about stuff after my hot air balloon crashed here. It's really cool 'cause it's shaped like the revised design of the Death Star from 'Return Of The Jedi' and.." he gulped as Anya growled, "Well I guess that part's not important, but I can still help you!"

"How?" asked Willow, curious. Tara thought this too. While it was against her nature to speak ill of anybody, she had to admit that the Andrew of Sunnydale didn't seem to have many useful skills apart from baking and whining about stolen hot-pockets.

"Well, you for example!" said Andrew to Willow. "You don't even need my help at all, you've had a brain all along. In fact, I'm willing to bet that you are one of the smartest people in Sunnyhell!"

"Really?" said Willow, feeling proud but still a little skeptical.

"Sure!" said Andrew, relieved that he seemed to be digging his way out of the hole he'd been stuck in. "You were clever enough to steal from the Pancake tree, and it was you who came up with the plan to rescue Tara from Kennedy's castle."

"Yeah" Willow grinned. "It was."

"So" said Andrew, rummaging around in the messy area behind the curtain before emerging with a small golden brain shaped statue, "I'm going to give you this trophy to recognise your intelligence."

"Wow!" said Willow, showing off the trophy after Andrew had handed it to her. "Look guys, I've got a brain!"

"And Xander" said Andrew, turning his attention to the tin man, "You have an amazing heart! Look how patient and caring you've been with Anya when she was scared."

"Yeah, well somebody had to look after her" said Xander, smiling at the demon.

"Yes, but you'd just met her, you were under no obligation to her, and yet you still did it!"

"Yeah!" said Willow. "And remember the first time we met when you shared your twinkies and gave me your jacket because I had a cold?"

"A heart is more than just the organ that beats within our chest Xander" said Andrew. "We show our true hearts through the kindness and compassion we give our fellow man, and I cannot think of anybody better at that than you." He handed the tin man a small plush-toy heart that lit up when you pressed it. "Now your heart can shine for all of Sunnyhell to see!"

"Cool!" said Xander, grinning as he began to turn the heart on and off. "When I do this it almost sounds like it's beating!"

"Now Anya" Andrew smiled. "I have just the thing to help you my dear." He turned and rummaged around again, returning with a piece of paper. "This is the number of my therapist. He'll have you free of your bunny phobia in no time."

"Great!" said Anya. "But why did you need a therapist?"

"Uh.. that's kinda private if you don't mind" said Andrew. Anya was about to speak again, but Willow got in first.

"What about Tara?" the scarecrow asked, taking her friend's hand. "And Miss Kitty Fantastico? How are you going to get them home?"

"I think I have an answer to that" Andrew grinned.


	15. The Thing That Means Home

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy, The Wizard Of Oz, or Star Wars.

* * *

"Isn't it cool?" said Andrew, gazing in awe at the huge spaceship he had led them to.

"I guess" said Xander. "Probably be a lot cooler if I actually knew what the hell it was."

"This is a fully-operational, life-size replica of the Millennium Falcon!" said Andrew proudly.

"The linoleum what?" asked Anya, confused.

"Not linoleum, Millenium! The Millenium Falcon, from Star Wars!" Andrew cried. The group looked at him blankly, except for Tara who was trying not to laugh. "Oh yeah, I forgot that nobody in this world's seen Star Wars. Anyway we finished building it last week, and I can use it to get me and Tara back home, and with it I will be the king of all Star Wars conventions!"

"So, you'll be the Alpha nerd?" said Xander.

"I liked the way I put it better, but yes" Andrew pouted.

--

So it was agreed that Andrew would fly Tara back home in his Millenium Falcon, and the people of Scooby City organised a big farewell party for their beloved 'Watcher'.

"Attention good people of Sunnyhell!" Andrew yelled, standing in front of the ship with Tara beside him holding a sleeping Miss Kitty Fantastico. "Though it pains me greatly, I must leave you in order to take this lovely young lady and her sweet little kitty home. As you may know she has rid our land of both The Evil Slut-Bitch Of The East and The Insufferable Brat Of The West, so I think we owe her a big round of applause don't you?" A cheer rose up from the citizens of Scooby City, though none were cheering louder than Willow, Xander, and Anya, standing at the front of the crowd. "I will leave you all in the very capable hands of my new friend Willow the scarecrow, until the time when _and if_" he added in a whisper, "I return. Willow will be assisted by her associates, Xander the golden hearted tin-man and Anyanka the vengeance demon."

"Not just any vengeance demon" Anya yelled to the crowd. "I am the patron saint of scorned women, and as soon as I've worked through my bunny phobia I with my new therapist I will be very happy to provide my services to any woman who needs them!"

"Yes, um, I'm sure they'll keep that in mind" said Andrew, before continuing his farewell speech. "Anyway, Willow is your leader now, and I know that I can trust you to be as loyal to her as you have been to me over the years. I wish you all long and happy lives. Farewell." Andrew climbed up the gangway into the ship, gesturing for Tara to follow, but she lingered behind to say goodbye to her friends.

"Good luck, Tara" said Xander, hugging the witch. "Thanks for everything, and I hope you get home safely."

"Thanks Xander" Tara smiled.

"Watch out for giant flying bunnies" said Anya, also hugging her friend. "They'll probably be running wild now that they don't have Kennedy to control them. They could be anywhere." The demon's eyes darted around suspiciously, causing Tara to laugh. Now it came to Willow, and Tara was surprised to feel a lump forming in her throat as the scarecrow threw her arms around her. It shouldn't be this hard to say goodbye to a dream, and yet it was because of her.

"I'm gonna miss you Tara" the scarecrow whispered.

"I'll miss you too Willow" said Tara, shifting Miss Kitty to one arm so she could hug her friend back. Suddenly, without warning, the Millenium Falcon began to rise into the air.

"What are you doing?" Xander yelled. "Tara's not on board yet, come back!"

"I can't!" came Andrew's panicked voice from inside the ship. "I don't know how, I don't even know how I took off!" Tara and her friends watched helplessly as the ship disappeared into the distance.

"Well that sucks" said Anya, turning to Tara. "Now how are you going to get home?"

"I don't know" said Tara, sighing sadly.

"You know you're completely welcome to stay here with us if you want right?" Willow asked. "'Cause me and Xander and Anya are gonna build this cottage that we can all live in together, and you could have your own room, or share one with me, I don't mind.."

"That sounds really nice Will" Tara sighed, "But I, uh, kind of have a scarecrow at home that I need to get back to."

"Oh" said Willow, face falling. Tara tried to keep the scarecrow's broken-hearted look from tearing up her own. "Well, there has to be something we can do."

"Of course there's something you can do!" cried Buffy, appearing in a puff of pink smoke.

"Hey, aren't you the Good Slayer Of The North?" asked Anya.

"The one and only" Buffy smiled.

"Well if you're so good why didn't you come and help us before now, huh?" said Anya, annoyed.

"Hey, I have a lot of stuff to deal with right now" said Buffy defensively. "It's not easy playing single mom to your teenage sister you know."

"Yeah, your teenage sister who you've left in the care of a neutered vampire for the past two weeks" said a familiar voice from the crowd.

"Oh shut up Spike. Anyway" Buffy continued, turning to Tara, "You've had the power to go home all along. The boots are magic, all you have to do is click your heels together three times and chant 'There's no place like home'." Tara did as Buffy had instructed, but yielded no results.

"It's not working" she frowned.

"Maybe your not doing it right" said Willow. "Try again, but try concentrating really hard on the one thing that means home to you more than anything else." Tara thought about this for a moment, and found that the answer was staring her right in the face, literally.

"You."

"What?"

"You. You mean home to me Willow." And with that, Tara grabbed the scarecrow and kissed her. Willow was quite a bit surprised at first, but soon began to kiss back. And when she did, the land of Sunnyhell slowly fell away..

* * *

AN: Next chap is the last, hope you enjoyed this.


	16. Like Always

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy or The Wizard Of Oz

* * *

Of course, the real Willow back in Sunnydale was understandably quite surprised when her girlfriend who had apparently been unconscious for the past five hours suddenly grabbed her and kissed her while she was applying a wet towel to her forehead. This probably prompted Scarecrow Willow's moment of hesitation, but, like her Sunnyhell counterpart, Willow soon got over her surprise and kissed Tara back. She smiled as she pulled away for air, and her smile widened when Tara's eyes fluttered open.

"You're awake" she cried happily, throwing her arms around her girlfriend as she sat up.

"Because of you" Tara replied, kissing her lover's cheek.

"Me?"

"Yeah. While I was out I had this dream, and in it you were with me the whole time. Xander and Anya were there too, but you were with me longest. And I got lost a couple of times, but you found me."

"Like always" Willow smiled.

"Yeah, like always" Tara replied, kissing her again. She frowned when she noticed a bruise on her girlfriend's cheek matching the one Scarecrow Willow had recieved while rescuing her from The Insufferable Brat's castle. "How did that happen?" she asked, running a finger over the injury.

"Oh, it's nothing. Something hit me in the face when I was trying to get you back inside" Willow explained. "Faith got hurt worse though. She got a nasty bump on the head from one of the potential's training dummies when she came to help me carry you, and she was out for a little while too. Guess we shouldn't have trusted Kennedy to put all the weapons away properly huh? Luckily that was when all the others got home and helped me get you both safely inside, because Kennedy was being a brat and not helping. I think she was still kinda mad about me slapping her."

"You slapped her?" said Tara, laughing.

"Well yeah" said Willow. "'Cause she insulted you and I had to defend my girl's honour didn't I?"

"If you say so baby" Tara smiled. "If you felt like you had to do it, I'm certainly not gonna argue." At that moment, Buffy entered the room carrying a plate of food for Willow.

"Hey Will, I brought you some.. Tara, you're awake!" the slayer cried happily. "Hey everyone, Tara's awake!" Suddenly, a group consisting of Xander, Anya, Andrew, Giles, Spike, Dawn, Faith, and most of the potentials rushed into the room.

"You had us worried there for a while" Xander smiled.

"Were you having nightmares? I think you were having nightmares" said Anya. "Willow asked me to sit with you while she went to the bathroom, and while she was gone you kept mumbling about giant flying bunnies. Are you okay? Bunny nightmares are always the worst."

"I'm fine Anya, thanks" Tara smiled.

"Nice to see ya back in the land of the livin' Blondie" said Faith. "Nice to know that I didn't go fallin' on my ass for nothin'." Tara looked around the room at her friends. The remaining potentials had filtered into the room, meaning almost all members of the household were present. One however, was noticeably absent.

"Where's Kennedy?" she asked.

"Oh" said Buffy, "The toilet got clogged, so I'm making her clean it as punishment for not helping Willow rescue you and Faith. Is that okay with you?"

"Sure" said Tara. _"Yep, everything is exactly as it was before I left, just the way its meant to be"_ she thought. The only difference was that now whenever Tara looked at Willow, part of her couldn't help thinking of a certain little scarecrow.


End file.
